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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25734517">Our perfectly imperfect family</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/herilaveur/pseuds/herilaveur'>herilaveur</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>SKAM (France)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>M/M</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-08-05</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-08-05</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-05 12:47:07</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Not Rated</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>3,499</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25734517</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/herilaveur/pseuds/herilaveur</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Eliott always thought that with Lucas they would create an open family where each member would feel comfortable talking about everything... Faced with the behaviour of their 16 year old son, he is forced to admit that this is not the case. When Samuel gets kicked out of school for yet another fight, he knows they're going to have to do something about it...but what do you do when you don't know what's wrong?</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Eliott Demaury/Lucas Lallemant</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>7</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>69</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Our perfectly imperfect family</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p> </p><p>Eliott sighs as he pushes open the door to his house. He takes off his shoes and coat. He doesn't want to experience what he's going to experience in a few minutes. He has been working all week to oversee the editing of the first episode of the new series he's in charge of, he's tired, he clearly doesn't feel like a fight. </p><p>''In the living room, Eliott.''</p><p>Eliott sighs, he wants to find Lucas, but he doesn't want to have to be the bad guy. And yet he knows he has to. Eliott sighs again, puts on a determined face and walks into the living room. Lucas is sitting in one of the armchairs, his face showing all his anger and disappointment, while Samuel is sitting on the sofa with his head down. Samuel has a black eye, a split lip and his shirt is half torn off. </p><p>''You're really...'' Eliott sighs to try not to scream, but he can't help it. ''But why do you think you can fix everything with your fists, Samuel? Do you really think that's how you're going to solve your problems?''</p><p>"So what?" Samuel shouts as he gets up "You want me to crash? You want me to let other people insult me? It was self-defense!"</p><p>"Samuel, don't talk to your father like that!" Lucas gets angry when he gets up. "He's right and you know it! It's not just about this fight, for God's sake.''</p><p>"And last week?" asks Eliott. "And the time before that? For months you've been getting involved in fights, Sam, but what's wrong with you? We don't recognize you no more.''</p><p>Samuel gets up, looks him straight in the eye, opens his mouth and closes it before he walks out the door.</p><p>''Oh, I'm not done.'' says Eliott, grabbing him by the arm. ''You're expelled from high school for a week, so you're grounded. Samuel. No exit, no phone, no computer, no tablette."</p><p>Samuel looks at him angrily, then turns to Lucas.</p><p>''Dad, I have to go to the conservatory tomorrow, and''</p><p>''No Samuel'' Lucas stop him ''I totally agree. Phone, tablette and computer are confiscated immediatly. No socializing, no friends, no girlfriend. Nothing until you tell us what really happened."</p><p>Eliott can see Samuel feels betrayed, and it's written all over his face. Eliott knows he loves going to the conservatory with Lucas, but for once, they won't give in. Samuel leaves the living room and two seconds later the door of his room slams. Eliott comes immediately to hug Lucas.</p><p>''We have to fix this situation before it gets out of hand. What the fuck are we doing wrong?"</p><p>Lucas sighs with a shrug.</p><p>''Nothing. He's just an angry teenager, almost 17 years old. Look at you, your parents didn't do anything wrong, right? They're so nice."</p><p>Eliott doesn't want to be mean. Of course, Lucas is right, and his parents are adorable, especially compared to Lucas' dad. But as a teenager, he thought his parents sucked, that they didn't listen enough and that he didn't understand him. So, of course, in hindsight, he thought he was the one who wasn't ready to talk to them, but he didn't want his son to feel the same way. He really thought he and Lucas would have the perfect family.</p><p>Eliott sighs. His father wished him many times that he had a son who was as hard to raise as he was. Raising Samuel was the easiest thing to do for 15 years. They adopted him when he was 1 year old and frankly until 6 months ago, Samuel was a ray of sunshine. A concentrate of good humor. And then he started being distant, and Eliott found that normal for his age. And then the fights started. The lies. Nights spent not knowing where he was. Nothing Eliott had ever put his parents through, but he didn't think he'd go through that with Samuel.</p><p>''We need to talk to him. We both. You and me against the rest of the world?"</p><p>Lucas smiles and then nods.</p><p>"Don't be so dramatic, he's just our son."</p><p>One clap rings out in Samuel's room and the next their son joins them in the living room, his face flushed with anger.</p><p>''If I tell you, can I go and play tomorrow? We have the summer concert in three weeks, and I can't leave the orchestra. I can't miss the conservatory.''</p><p>Eliott smiles in spite of himself. The last time Samuel missed a morning at the conservatory was when he had the flu eight months ago and he cried. His passion for music may be the key to their problems.</p><p>''What did you fight about?'' Lucas asks. ''He's in the hospital, Sam, that's something.''</p><p>Samuel's rolling his eyes, like it's no big deal and just makes Eliott a little madder.</p><p>''OK, so I didn't break his nose on purpose, but he deserved it. Julien is an asshole, he started it, I keep telling you. Self-defense, you know? He insulted me, I knocked. I'm sorry I break his nose. End of story.''</p><p>Eliott looks at him with a sigh. He doesn't look sorry. He doesn't look at all sorry.</p><p>''What about before?'' asks Lucas trying to keep a calm voice. ''What about the fight before? Something's killing you on the inside, Sam. You're hiding something and it's eating you from the inside. We're not talking about Julien or Martin or Nicolas or any of the guys you've been fighting with. We're talking about you closing in on yourself, lying to us, who doesn't come home from the night and doesn't warn us. We see that you're not well and that you don't want to tell us anything. We're not forcing you to talk, but you're gonna have to change something because we can't go on living like this."</p><p>Eliott sees Samuel's face completely decompose. He opens his mouth and closes it again before going back to his room.</p><p>''I feel like I see myself at his age.'' Lucas sighs ''I was so angry, I felt like nobody understood me and I was angry at the whole world."</p><p>''Yeah,'' confirms Eliott. ''Why didn't anybody tell us how hard it is to be parents?''</p><p>Lucas shrugs his shoulders. Samuel's not coming to dinner and Eliott hates it. He hates what their family is becoming. He always thought that with Lucas they would create an open family where each member would feel comfortable talking about everything and he is forced to admit that this is not the case.</p><p>"What do you think he's hiding?"</p><p>Lucas turns to him, leaning on his elbow. They've been in bed for hours, they should have been asleep for hours, but they can't.</p><p>''I don't know, but he's been angry all the time for months and he's not like he used to be. It's like he doesn't dare to talk to us anymore. Sometimes there's a big silence between us and then he finally sighs. I'm sure he wants to tell us something but he's afraid of how we'll react. And frankly, I don't see what he can find so hard to tell us. It's not like he has to coming-out or something like that. So I'm imagining the worst: Drugs, alcohol... I don't know."</p><p>''I don't know either.''</p><p>Silence returns to the bedroom, but not in Eliott's head. He can no longer stop his thoughts. And when the truth jumps out at him, Eliott lets out a sob and hides his face in his hands.</p><p>''Eliott, what''</p><p>''It's my fault. I know he hates it when I have a depressive episode, and you know I've had several in a short period of time. It's my fault. I knew I'd be a bad father, I told you so."</p><p>Lucas immediately pushes him so that Eliott lies on his back and climbs up on his thighs, holding his arms above his waist to keep him from hiding his face in it.</p><p>''Look at me, Eliott. You're a good father. I always knew you would be and you always have been, okay? We have a 16-year-old son who's hiding something from us, but that's not why we're bad parents. You're a good father, a good husband, an amazing man, and I'll always be proud of you."</p><p>Eliott sighs with a shameful look down his eyes.</p><p>"I searched his room." He's ashamed to say it, and he hates that he did, but he needed to know. "Except his box of condoms went down, I didn't find anything."</p><p>Lucas smiles when he closes his eyes and his cheeks turn red.</p><p>''Yeah, I know. I did that, too. I'm better than you, I found weed under a book, but just enough for a joint, nothing to be alarmed about."</p><p>Eliott chuckles as he pulls Lucas against him.</p><p>''What the fuck, how did we get to be like this?  I thought we said we'd be better than our dads? Can you imagine if he finds out we searched his room? Fuck it, I don't know what to do."</p><p>A thud is heard on the other side of the apartment and they jump out of bed at the same time. Eliott is the first one outside their son's bedroom door and he hears him playing his guitar. The noise must have been the guitar tapping in his bed. They are about to go back to their room when Samuel starts singing.</p><p>
  <em>''Are we ever going to stop with the hate and the name-calling? Can someone tell them we love each other and that it's not unclean? Cross-dressing, who I really am. Show them nothing, love to hide. Sorry, Dad, I took all your painkillers, I just wanted to sleep a little longer."</em>
</p><p>Eliott's blood freezes immediately, he suddenly opens the door. Samuel's sitting on his bed, guitar in his hand and he's playing, crying. And the fucking vision breaks Eliott's heart.</p><p>"Get the fuck out."</p><p>Eliott immediately walks up to him and grabs him by the shoulders.</p><p>"What'd you take, Sam? How many did you take?"</p><p>Samuel shakes his head as he pushes his father away.</p><p>''Nothing. It's just a song. I didn't take anything, I promise. You keep everything under lock and key anyway."</p><p>Eliott bites his lip. If Samuel's pointing that out, he's been thinking about it. And there's nothing worse than knowing he's been thinking about taking Eliott's meds. He can't thank Lucas enough for convincing him to keep them under lock and key. Eliott was far too naive to think that their son would ever touch them.</p><p>''It's not just a song, Sam'' pissed Lucas off as he picked up the papers scattered on the bed '<em>'Don't say anything and pretend it's nothing. At the end of the sea, I'm sinking gently."</em></p><p>Samuel puts the guitar on the floor and wipes his tears from his eyes.</p><p>"Leave me alone."</p><p>''OK, let's stop, I've had enough.'' says Eliott, sitting next to him. ''We need to talk. I'm not leaving this room until I know what's going on inside your head. Do you have any idea how dark it is when you write? There's no way I'm leaving you with ideas like that. I know what your father said earlier, but I don't agree. We need to talk."</p><p>Lucas puts his hand on Samuel's hand. He looks as devastated as Eliott.</p><p>''Sam, talk to us, please. Are you in some kind of trouble? We're here, you're not alone. Let us help you."</p><p>Samuel sighs before he nods.</p><p>''You know you can tell us anything,'' says Lucas.</p><p>Samuel shakes his head.</p><p>"I don't want it to change anything between us."</p><p>Eliott can't help but giggle.</p><p>''In case you haven't noticed, things have changed between us, Samuel. But here we are and we love you. We'll always be here and we'll always love you. Can we help you?"</p><p>Samuel shrugs his shoulders before he lets out a sigh.</p><p>"Julien saw me with Marco and told the whole class I was cheating on Lea with him."</p><p>Eliott shrugs his shoulders. He can't imagine his son cheating. It's probably just a misunderstanding. His son is certainly not an asshole. He's been dating Lea for six months and they both seem fine. Lea's been his best friend since they were eight, he wouldn't dare do that to her.</p><p>''How did Lea react? Because it's not true, right?"</p><p>Lucas gives him a killer look and Eliott frowns. Ok, they always said they wouldn't judge their son's actions, but it's not like Eliott is judging him. He knows Samuel's not capable of that. Well, okay, maybe it's some kind of judgment.</p><p>"She don't care." drops Samuel in a sigh. ''She knows the truth. But when she told him, he said we're disgusting, and it hurts. It hurts me that no one understands us and that everyone judges us. That's exactly why we didn't want that to come out. I can't stand the way people look at us. It makes me so angry."</p><p>Eliott doesn't understand and looks at Lucas but he seems as lost as he is.</p><p>''Wait, calm down, start at the beginning and explain it clearly. What's going on with Lea? What does this have to do with Marco?"</p><p>"Are we talking about Marco from the conservatory? Marco, who I teach piano to and who plays violin with you?" asks Lucas, who is obviously as lost as Eliott.</p><p>''Yes, of course. Why, do you know another one?"</p><p>Eliott hates that tone, but he doesn't have time to talk while Lucas shakes his head.</p><p>''No. But he's so sweet and so calm. He's so"</p><p>''You mean I'm the bad guy?'' gets Samuel angry when he gets up ''Do you think I don't deserve it? You think I can't make him happy? Cause I've been doing it real fucking good for the last six months. We love each other and"</p><p>''Wait.'' Eliott stop him ''Are you with Marco? And Lea?"</p><p>Samuel looks like a deer caught between the headlights.</p><p>''I think Samuel was hiding behind a fake relationship to hide that he loves a guy.'' says Lucas softly. </p><p>Eliott frowns. If Lucas was trying to make it sound nonjudgmental, it's a total loss.''</p><p>''No, it's not.'' Samuel protests. ''You really have to be an asshole to do that. We're in love. Dads, I didn't know how to tell you this, but I'm polyamorous. I love Lea, I love Marco, and they love each other. The three of us are in love together."</p><p>Eliott blinks twice as he looks at his son. If he was expecting a coming-out, this is not what he was expecting at all :<em> I'm straight, I'm gay, I'm bi, I'm pan, I'm omni, I'm asexual.</em>.. he's already thought of every possible scenario since Samuel's adoption. But never this one.</p><p>''We're in love, it's just love. Lea and Marco share their passion for cooking, I share literature with Lea and music with Marco. It's not just about sex, we're just in love. I need both of them in my life. We need all three of us to be happy. I don't know how to explain it, I've only felt complete since the three of us are a couple."</p><p>Lucas stands up and pulls Samuel against him.</p><p>''Hey, it's all right, baby, you don't have to explain yourself. It's all good.  We love you, you know. I'm proud of you, Sam. I'm sorry you were afraid to tell us."</p><p>Eliott watches them hug and gawks. That's a lot of information to take in. How did Lucas take it so easily? Besides, Eliott understands. When he told his parents he was pansexual, it didn't change anything for them, but when Lucas told his parents he was gay, he was disowned by his father.</p><p>Of course Eliott could never do that to his son. He gets up and joins them, wraps one arm around his son, one around his husband.</p><p>''I love you, son, it doesn't change anything for us, you know. Anyway, we always knew you had a big heart."</p><p>Lucas bursts out laughing first, followed by Samuel.</p><p>''Eliott! This is fucking clumsy!" Lucas groans and chuckles.</p><p>''It's so you, Daddy! Thank you. Thank you, dads."</p><p>Eliott holds him tight again. </p><p>''There's never anything you can do or say that'll take us away from you, son. We know what it's like to hear the criticism and judgments about our love. You're going to have to learn to react without using your fists. You're gonna have to learn to be yourself and not care what other people think, you can't hit 'em all to shut 'em up. So be yourself, and anyone else who doesn't like it: Fuck them, but not fight them. And never be afraid to talk to us."</p><p>Samuel nods his head and smiles.</p><p>''I'm sorry. Thank you, Daddy. I was really afraid you'd think it was... weird. Or that you wouldn't understand. You're so..."</p><p>''Monogamous?'' laughs Eliott ''Yeah. So what if I am? I have straight friends, you know, yet I'm not. I accept that other people aren't like me, even my son. Even my husband, for that matter. We're different but similar. Nothing can ever stop us from loving you, Sam."</p><p>Samuel smiles and Eliott takes it as a fucking victory.</p><p>"So I'm not grounded anymore?"</p><p>Eliott laughs out loud. Fuck, Sam never wastes any time.</p><p>"Yeah, but okay, you can go to the conservatory."</p><p>Lucas and Samuel look at each other and smiles.</p><p>''Okay, it's 3:00 in the morning, so everybody go to bed." orders Lucas.</p><p>Eliott and Lucas immediately fall asleep in each other's arms, visibly relieved. Worries and questions will wait until tomorrow morning. </p><p>Like almost every Saturday morning, Eliott accompanies Lucas and Samuel to the conservatory. It's so rewarding to be able to walk hand in hand with Lucas until he gets to work. They see Marco waiting on the steps of the building. Samuel turns to them with puppy eyes.</p><p>''Go ahead.''</p><p>Eliott can't help but smile as he watches his son run towards Marco with his violin case in his hand and his guitar on his back. The worried look on Marco's face gently touching the bruises on Samuel's face makes him smile a little more. </p><p>But when the two boys kiss, Eliott can't help but think of Lea.</p><p>"Do I have the right to say I feel weird about this?"</p><p>Lucas giggles as he shakes hands with Eliott a little more.</p><p>''Yeah. It weirds me out too, you know, I can't imagine feeling exactly the same love for two people, but if he's happy like that, I'm happy. He's not asking us to understand it, just to accept it. We just have to avoid everything my dad said about us: that it was a phase, that it can't last, that it's immoral or unnatural...and everything will be fine. I hope so."</p><p>Eliott kisses him with a smile.</p><p>''Sure, baby, everything's gonna be fine. Do you have any idea how fucking weird it's gonna be when we tell our parents?"</p><p>Lucas shrugs his shoulders.</p><p>''I hadn't even thought about it. Imagine when your dad had to tell your grandma that you were dating a guy... Well, there you go. Now it's our turn.But there are worse things than that, imagine when we tell Basile."</p><p>Eliott bursts out laughing, it is clear that Basil will make a number of nice comments that are totally inappropriate. Eliott smiles, thinking that their friends will have no problem accepting this situation.</p><p>They walk to Samuel and Marco and stop a little hesitantly.</p><p>''Hi Sirs Demaury!''</p><p>''Hi Marco. I already told you to call me Eliott and it's even more so now.''</p><p>Eliott looks at the dark-haired boy smiling and nodding his head.</p><p>''I guess when you're not at the conservatory, you can call me Lucas.''</p><p>The boy's cheeks turn red and it reminds Eliott of the sweet boy he fell in love with in high school.</p><p>''Thank you, Eliott and Lucas. Thank you for everything."</p><p>Eliott kisses his husband before letting him in the building with the two boys holding hands. </p><p>He can't even say he's surprised when he arrives at 12 o'clock in front of the building and sees Lea. And he doesn't miss the smile on her face when she sees Marco and Samuel laughing their way out. </p><p>So Ok, it's really weird to see Lea kissing Samuel's bruises while he's holding Marco's hand. But if they're happy like that, what's wrong with that? </p><p>Eliott sees the boy who's been beating his heart for years and walks towards him. And he doesn't really know why, but he thinks back to their first Pride march. Lucas was wearing a shirt that said <em>"love is just love."<br/>
</em></p><p>Samuel laughed, followed by his boygirlfriends, and Eliott knew they would be okay. Their family will be fine.</p><p>A perfectly imperfect family, even weirder than before, but one he wouldn't trade for anything in the world.</p><p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I borrowed the lyrics to Hoshi's song "Amour Censure (Censor Love)".</p><p>I wanted to talk about polyamory and trouple... so here we go...</p><p>Don't hesitate to leave a comment and let me know what you think.</p></blockquote></div></div>
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